Macbeth is the most famous tragedy of William Shakespeare. Today we are discussing about Macbeth summary, character list, setting, literary devices etc. the genre of Macbeth is Tragedy so first of all we learns about tragedy. 


Macbeth written by William Shakespeare , Three witches

Macbeth written by William Shakespeare

Macbeth is the most famous tragedy of William Shakespeare. Written in 1606 and Published in 1623 it's a tragedy with 5 Act and 28 scenes.

What is Tragedy?

Tragedy is a genre of Drama which presents a serious matter about human suffering. it narrates the terrible events in a dignified manner.
Tragedy is a Greek origin. the three Greek dramatists are Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. 
According to Aristotle, "Tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and a certain magnitude, in language embellished with kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play, in the form of action, not for narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions."
Catharsis is the main function of Tragedy .It is to arouse the feelings of pity and fear. element of Tragedy includes universality, tragic hero and spirit of tragedy. Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville wrote Gorboduc ,The first tragedy of English Literature.

Title             Macbeth 

Written                  1606

Published               1623(in first folio)

Genre                     Tragedy

Setting                    Scotland and England

Theme                     Over ambition

Length                     a tragedy of 5Act and 28 scenes

Words                      17121words

 

 Character list

Duncan                      King of Scotland

Malcolm                     Duncan’s elder son

Donalbain                   Duncan’s younger son

Macbeth                     A General in the army of king Duncan

Lady Macbeth           Macbeth’s wife (as forth witches)

Banquo                      Macbeth’s friend and a General in the army of Duncan

Fleance                      Banquo’s son

Macduff                     A nobleman of Scotland

Lady Macduff            Macduff’s wife

Porter                         Gatekeeper

Three witches


Summary of Macbeth 

Duncan is the King of Scotland. Malcolm and Donalbain are his son. Macbeth and Banquo are king Duncan’s generals. They are defeated the Norwegians and Scottish rebels. King Duncan gets the reports of the victory. The play begins with the meeting of three witches on a heath. They are waiting for Macbeth and Banquo who are returning from war. Macbeth and Banquo meet them. They predict that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor. He will become a king. they tell about Banquo that he will be the father of kings Ross and Agnus come and greet Macbeth with the title of Cawdor.

          Duncan welcomes Macbeth. He praises Macbeth and Banquo. he asks Macbeth that he will visit his home. Macbeth writes to his wife about all the things and also the king’s plan to visit. lady Macbeth sees the opportunity. She makes a plot with Macbeth how they can kill Duncan. Macbeth first shows enthusiasm but later changes his mind. She persuades Macbeth to carry out the plan under her guidance. he murdered Duncan. He puts the blame on servants.

Macbeth recalls the prophecies of witches   about Banquo. Banquo will be the father of kings.  Macbeth calls murderers and ask them to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. The murderers kill Banquo but Fleance escapes. When Macbeth is taking dinner, the ghost of Banquo appears. Macbeth meets the witches to know about his fate. The witches tell him that he should fear Macduff. No man born of woman can kill Macbeth. He will never be defeated until the Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. The witches also show a line of eight kings of Banquo.

Macduff flees to England Macbeth kills Macduff’s wife and children. Macduff goes to meet Malcolm. Malcolm, first of all, tests Macduff’s allegiance to Scotland. he agrees to fight with the help of the English. Ross gives the news of the murder of Macduff’s wife and children.

Lady Macbeth walks while sleeping. She seems to say that nothing can clear her hands of Duncan’s blood.

Malcolm and Macduff come to attack. Malcolm asks his men to put tree branches before them. It gives the impression that the Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane. Lady Macbeth dies. Macbeth fights. He is not afraid because he knows that no man born of woman can kill him. He kills young Seward He meets Macduff who tell him that he is not born of woman. he tells him about his caesarean birth. Macduff kills Macbeth. He brings the head of Macbeth to Malcolm. Malcolm becomes the king of Scotland.

 

Literary devices used in Macbeth. 

Theme

The main theme of Macbeth is Over ambition and -the destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral constraints-finds its most powerful expression in the play’s two characters. Macbeth is brave general of king who is not naturally inclined to commit evil deeds but his deeply desires power kills Duncan.

Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, pursues he goals with greater determination .at the end both are meets their tragic end.

 

Motifs -

motifs can help to develop and inform the text’s major theme.

Hallucination

In the play when Macbeth is about to kill Duncan, he sees a Dagger floating in the air., covered with blood and pointed towards king’s chamber. . The Lady Macbeth sleep walking scene and her belief that her hands are stained with the blood of that cannot be washed away by any amount of water.

Violence

Macbeth is famous for its violence. Macbeth and Banquo wading in blood on the battlefield. In the first, Macbeth defeats the invaders; in the second, he is slain and beheaded by Macduff. In between is a series of murder; Duncan, Duncan’s chamberlains, Banquo Lady Macduff and her son all come to bloody ends by the end of the action, blood seems to be everywhere.

Prophecy

Prophecy makes Macbeth plot in action –as the witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will be the king. Weird sister make a number of other prophesies; they tell us that Banquo’s heirs will be the kings, that Macbeth should beware Macduff, that Macbeth is safe till Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane and that no man born of woman can harm Macbeth.

Symbols

Some major symbols are used in the play as—the Weather, sleep. Fist of all we discuss about symbols of weather-from the thunder and lightning that accompany the witches’ appearances to the terrible storm that rage on the night of Duncan’s murder.

In the Second, sleep symbolized the ignorance that many character finds themselves facing throughout the drama.

Some important quotation

"PRESENTS FREARS ARE LESS
 THAN HORRIBLE IMAGININGS"

 By William Shakespeare      


"LIFE’S  A  BUT A WALKING SHADOW,
 A POOR PLAYER, THAT STRUTS AND FRETS 
HIS HOUR UPON THE STAGE, AND THEN IS HEARED
 NO MORE. IT IS A TALE TOLD BY AN IDIOT,
 FULL OF SOUND AND FURY, SIGNIFIFING NOTHING."


By William Shakespeare      


“THERE IS NO ART
TO FIND THE MIND’S
CONTRUCTION IN THE
FACE.”

By William Shakespeare      

“WHAT’S DONE CANNOT BE UNDONE.”

By William Shakespeare      

 

WILL ALL THE GREAT NEPTUNE’S OCEAN 
WASH THIS BLOOD CLEAN FROM MY HAND.”

By William Shakespeare      

“FAIR IS FOUL, AND FOUL IS FAIR HOVER 
 THROUGH THE FOG AND FILTHY AIR.”    

By William Shakespeare